This invention relates to combination head-protective helmet including a nape device, radio interface apparatus for being mounted to the nape device and including an ear speaker and a bone microphone, a lapel-mounted speaker and microphone and a radio to which the ear speaker and bone microphone and lapel speaker and microphone may be alternately connected and which radio may function only as a transceiver; the radio may be mounted to the clothing or belt of a wearer of the helmet. This invention further relates to combination head-protective helmet including a nape device, radio interface apparatus for being mounted to the nape device and including an ear speaker and a bone microphone and a radio which may be mounted to the clothing, such as the lapel, of a wearer of the helmet and which radio may function as a transceiver for the ear speaker and the bone microphone. Still further, this invention relates to combination radio interface apparatus including an ear microphone and a bone microphone for being mounted to the nape device of a head-protective helmet, a lapel speaker and microphone and a radio to which the ear speaker and bone microphone and lapel speaker and microphone may be alternately connected and which radio may be mounted to the clothing or belt of the wearer of the helmet and which radio may function only as a transceiver. Yet further, the present invention relates to combination radio interface apparatus including an ear speaker and a bone microphone for being mounted to the nape device of the head-protective helmet and a radio which may be mounted to the clothing such as the lapel of the wearer of the helmet in which radio may function as a transceiver for the ear speaker and bone microphone. In addition, the invention relates to radio interface apparatus including a support and an ear speaker and a bone microphone mounted to the support, the radio interface apparatus for being mounted removably to the nape device of a head-protective helmet.
Combination head-protective helmet and communication system, such as radio apparatus, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,577, patented Apr. 4, 1995, entitled COMBINATION HEAD-PROTECTIVE HELMET & COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, Lawrence H. Zuckerman et als, inventors and which patent bears a face assignment to Carins & Brother, Inc. of Clifton, N.J. which is the assignee of the present invention. This patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein. Disclosed in FIGS. 14-17 of this incorporated patent, and described in the associated written text, are a combination head-protective helmet 20 including a flame retardant earflap 106 and a communication radio system including a transceiver 104A, a throat microphone 54A and an antenna 53A. The transceiver 106 includes an ear speaker 55A with the transceiver being mounted in a pocket formed in the earflap 106. The throat microphone 54A is mounted to an extension 136 of the earflap and the antenna 53A resides within, or underneath, the head-protective helmet 20. Although substantially removable, it will be understood that the communication system radio apparatus of the incorporate patent are substantially dedicated to the head-protective helmet including the earflap 106. This means, it is very difficult, or expensive, or greatly inconvenient, to completely remove the communication system or radio apparatus from the head-protective helmet disclosed in the incorporated patent so as to be able to use the head-protective helmet and earflap separately and without the communication system or radio apparatus. This leads to undesirable inconvenience and unnecessary expense and gives rise to need in the art for a radio apparatus which is easily mounted to and removed from a head-protective helmet which permits the radio apparatus to be transferred from helmet to helmet and whereby the helmet with the radio apparatus removed can be used separately.
Accordingly, there is need in the art for radio apparatus/head-protective helmet which overcomes the above-noted problems in the art in which provides new and improved radio apparatus/head-protective helmet.